Department for Transport

Heathrow Airport

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent comments by Sir Howard Davies on the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the need for a third runway at Heathrow; and what plans they have to ask Sir Howard to re-examine the case for a third runway at Heathrow taking into account the impact of (1) changed business practices, (2) greater use of IT on the demand for business travel, and (3) their decision to include aviation emissions in the UK’s (a) carbon budget, and (b) net zero emissions target.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government have always been clear that Heathrow expansion remains a private sector project which must meet strict criteria on air quality, noise and climate change, as well as being privately financed, affordable, and delivered in the best interest of consumers. The Government will soon be consulting on our ambitious plans to decarbonise aviation in the run up to COP26, setting out how the sector will achieve ‘jet zero’ by 2050.

Travel: Coronavirus

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made on facilitating international travel; and what plans they have (1) to clarify the status of countries on the green list, and (2) to reduce the cost of PCR tests.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Global Travel Taskforce outlined plans for the safe and sustainable reopening of international travel using a traffic light system. The traffic light system categorises countries based on risk to protect public health and the vaccine rollout from variants of COVID-19. The Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) produces risk assessments of countries and territories. Decisions on Red, Amber or Green List assignment and associated border measures are taken by Ministers, who take into account the JBC risk assessments, alongside wider public health factors. Country categorisation is published on gov.uk. The Government continues to work with the travel industry and private testing providers to further reduce testing costs, while ensuring travel is as safe as possible. The price of tests has reduced significantly over recent weeks, and several providers are offering Day 2 tests for green arrivals for under £50.

Driving Licences

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the current waiting time is for the (1) renewal of, and (2) alteration to, driving licences.

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to return DVLA staff to their offices, and (2) to reverse any decline in the productivity of the DVLA caused by measures taken to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. Online applications are not subject to delays and successful applicants will receive their driving licence within a few days. However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application for a driving licence. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day which must be dealt with in person. The DVLA has been working with a reduced number of operational staff on site to allow for social distancing, in line with Welsh Government requirements. This, as well as ongoing industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), has led to delays. There may be additional delays in processing more complex transactions, for example, if medical investigations are needed. Currently, driving licence applications made on paper are likely to take six to ten weeks to process. More information on turnaround times is available on the DVLA Covid-19 update page on GOV.UK. The DVLA has reconfigured its accommodation to safely maximise the number of staff on site and is working hard to process applications as quickly as possible. The DVLA has accelerated the development of additional online services to reduce the number of paper applications and supported their take up through a publicity campaign. Further digital service enhancements are underway.

Passenger Ships

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps theyare taking to increase the number of UK ratings now employed in the cruise industry who were previously in the Royal Navy.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has developed a pathway for those leaving the Royal Navy, with the relevant skills and experience, to obtain a UK Merchant Navy Rating or Able Seafarer qualification. These qualifications lead to an internationally recognised certificate, which is a requirement for those who wish to apply for roles as a rating on vessels such as cruise ships. The MCA continues to work with its stakeholders, to develop flexible pathways to provide skilled UK seafarers to the maritime sector.

Apprentices

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many taxpayer-funded apprenticesare due to begin work in the next six months on (1) HS2, (2) Hinkley Point C, and (3) CrossRail.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Major projects such as HS2, Hinkley Point C and Crossrail are vital in helping the Government meet its ambitions of driving up the number of apprentices across the construction and transport sector.The HS2 programme has a commitment to creating a minimum of 2,000 apprenticeships over the lifetime of the programme. Since Royal Assent in 2017, HS2 Ltd and its supply chain has started 650 apprenticeships, of which 91 are within HS2 Ltd and 559 are within the supply chain. For the financial year 2021/22 HS2 forecast starting a further 289 apprenticeships.EDF have reported that so far 756 apprentices trained on Hinkley Point C to date and are on track to meet the target of 1,000 apprenticeships during the construction phase.MTR Crossrail forecast between 60-70 apprenticeships required in the next six months and between 15-20 existing employees undertaking apprenticeship training as part of the Crossrail operator concession programme. Alongside this there will also be 3 new apprentices starting at Old Oak Common in the next 6 months with Alstom as part of the Crossrail rolling stock programme.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Grants and Loans

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent, if at all, they monitor the information provided by Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in response to questions on (1) grants, and (2) loans, for compliance with their obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation; and if they conduct such monitoring, what assessment they have made as to whether the York and North Yorkshire LEP has complied with its obligations in respect to questions from Askham Bryan College.

Lord Callanan: All Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are subject to mid-year and annual performance reviews that consider areas of governance, delivery performance, and strategic impact. The York and North Yorkshire (YNY) LEP was considered to have met the requirements in all three areas following its 2020-21 annual performance review. The delivery assessment took account of YNY LEP’s overall performance in delivering its Local Growth and Getting Building Fund programmes, including progress on the delivery of Askham Bryan projects being funded from these programmes.In order to provide assurance on the robust stewardship of public funds and to meet governance performance requirements, LEPs are required to develop a local assurance framework that meets the mandatory governance, accountability, and transparency requirements set out in the National Local Growth Assurance Framework.In so doing, LEPs must put in place appropriate data protection arrangements in line with the Data Protection Act 1998, the General Data Protection Requirements (GDPR), and the Data Protection Act 2018. YNY LEP is the data controller for data they collect including any relating to Askham Bryan College. The LEP should ensure it follows the appropriate procedures and that internal processes are compliant with the legislation.LEPs are also required to have a legal personality and must abide by the laws and regulations that apply to the legal entity they adopt. YNY LEP is a private company limited by guarantee without share capital.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS Resolution: Annual Reports

Baroness Thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect topublish NHS Resolution's annual report.

Lord Bethell: The Department and its bodies, which includes NHS Resolution, have a statutory requirement to produce an annual report and accounts (ARA) following the end of the financial year. NHS Resolution is responsible for ensuring its ARA is laid before Parliament in accordance with Departmental guidance. NHS Resolution has advised that it intends to lay its ARA before the summer recess.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement that under-30s in England will now be invited for their COVID-19 vaccinations, (1) what arrangements they have made for those who (a) have anaphylaxis and cannot have the Pfizer vaccine, and (b) cannot have the Astrazenca jab due to age; and (2) how they will ensure that the Moderna vaccine is made available to such individuals.

Lord Bethell: If an individual is allergic to any component of a COVID-19 vaccine, they may be directed towards a suitable alternative vaccine following a discussion with a healthcare professional.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that it is preferable for adults aged under 30 years old without underlying health conditions that put them at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease, to be offered an alternative to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, if available. The JCVI currently advises that in addition to those aged under 30 years old, unvaccinated adults aged 30-39 years old who are not in a clinical priority cohort at higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease, should also be preferentially offered an alternative to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, where available.If a person is under 40 years old, the National Booking Service will direct them to appointments for the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.

Eating Disorders: Research

Baroness Bull: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter from theMinister of State for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health to Baroness Bull on 18 June,what funding they have allocated to the new eating disorder study jointly led by King’s College London and Beat; and through which funding mechanismany such funding was provided.

Lord Bethell: The United Kingdom Eating Disorders Genetic Initiative (EDGI) is funded by the National Institute for Health Research’s (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre Maudsley BioResource for Mental Health. The NIHR has invested £6.5 million into their Mental Health Bioresource, BioResource for Translational Research and Biosample theme.

Health Services: Veterans

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the quality of NHS care for veterans.

Lord Bethell: Several bespoke veterans’ services have been developed to meet the needs of military personnel, veterans and their families. This includes Op Courage, the new specialist mental health service for veterans, which focuses on those in crisis, at risk of self-harm or suicide, or suffering other problems such as homelessness and addiction. To date, Op Courage has received over 10,000 referrals.NHS England are also working with the Royal College of General Practitioners to accredit general practitioner practices as ‘veteran friendly’. To date, 982 practices have been accredited and the accreditation scheme is being widened to Primary Care Networks.

Cataracts: Surgery

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average cost of an NHS cataract operation.

Lord Bethell: Payment for cataract surgery within the National Health Service depends on complexity and tariffs for each procedure varies from £973.42 to £1070.36. Data is not collected on the cost of cataract operations carried out by the independent sector, on behalf of the NHS.

Cereal Products

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the health benefits of breakfast cereals in promoting a healthy diet in children.

Lord Bethell: Public Health England has not made an assessment. The Government’s advice on a healthy, balanced diet is based on recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. Starchy carbohydrates are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. As well as starch, they provide fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.The Government continues to actively promote the Eatwell Guide principles through a range of platforms such as Start4life and Change4life.

Prescription Drugs: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what process will be followed for Northern Ireland in circumstances where the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approves a licence for a medicine but such approval has not been given by the European Medicines Agency.

Lord Bethell: We are committed to maintaining parity of access to medicines across the United Kingdom. In circumstances where the approval dates for products in Great Britain and Northern Ireland differ, doctors can prescribe medicines outside of the label in areas of unmet medical need. The General Medical Council provides clear recommendations to physicians on prescribing medicines which they consider is in the patient’s best interest but may not carry the specific indication. We continue to work with colleagues in Europe to ensure that approval for medicines in Great Britain and Northern Ireland are aligned in the future.

Osimertinib: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Tagrisso is available to patients in Northern Ireland on the same basis as it is to patients in Great Britain; and if not, what are the differences in its availability.

Lord Bethell: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency recently authorised a new indication for Tagrisso in Great Britain to help treat early stage non-small cell lung cancer patients. This indication for Tagrisso has been authorised by the European Medicines Agency and can be prescribed to patients in Northern Ireland on the same basis as in Great Britain.

Social Services: Reform

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government when theywill publish their social care reforms.

Lord Bethell: The Government is committed to sustainable improvement of the adult social care system and will bring forward proposals in 2021.

Preventive Medicine: Finance

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to invest in preventative healthcare; and what assessment they have made of the effect of such investment on (1) thewaiting lists for hospital treatment, and (2) demand for NHS services generally.

Lord Bethell: Local authorities in England receive a public health grant to support their statutory duty to improve the health of their population. The public health grant to local authorities in England has increased from £3.279 billion in 2020/21 to £3.324 billion in 2021/22.The NHS Long Term Plan commits to a range of actions to prevent ill health, including the prevention of up to 150,000 heart attacks, strokes and dementia cases over a 10 year period. Although no formal assessment has yet been made on the effects on investing in preventative healthcare on waiting lists and demand, it is estimated there will be a significant positive impact on National Health Service waiting lists as part of recovery from the pandemic. Preventative interventions can deliver significant health benefits for individuals as well as reducing the burden of preventable illness on the NHS.

Health Services: EU Nationals

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherEU nationals living in the UK before 31 December 2020 and who go on to be granted settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme will be liable for chargeable healthcare as set out in NHS Charging Regulations guidance or whether they are entitled to free healthcare.

Lord Bethell: Citizens of a European Union country, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland and their family members who were lawfully residing in the United Kingdom by 31 December 2020 will keep their right to healthcare on the same basis as UK residents, as long as they meet the ordinary residence test. From 1 July 2021, they must have been granted settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). These rights will be subject to any future domestic policy changes which apply to UK nationals.An individual that has made an application to the EUSS will be considered non-chargeable from the date of their application until an outcome is determined by the Home Office. An individual who is eligible to apply to the EUSS but who has not submitted an application by 30 June 2021 will be chargeable. If they receive and pay for relevant services and then later make a late application which is granted, they will not be refunded for the earlier treatment.

Health Services: Weather

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many extrahospital beds across the United Kingdom will be needed to meet winter pressures in 2021–22.

Lord Bethell: The information is not available in the format requested. National Health Service bed capacity is not fixed and is flexible to meet changes in demand. Demand in winter 2021/22 remains uncertain due to factors including hospitalisations of patients with influenza or COVID-19.

Gender

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what options they are considering for recording sex as part of the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics; and in particular, what consideration they are giving to those instances where sex may be hard to determine or non-standard in its expression.

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatoptions they are considering for recording gender reassignment as part of the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics; whether they are considering recording gender identity as part of that consideration; and if so, in what form.

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics to apply across government; and if so, how they intend to record a rape committed by a male who identifies as a woman with respect to (1) sex, and (2) gender identity.

Lord Bethell: We are discussing the options for implementing the recommendations with delivery partners and through appropriate stakeholder engagement.

Department for Education

Offences against Children

Baroness Blake of Leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide an update on the progress made towards improving children’s social workers’ ability to identify and respond to child sexual abuse as part of the Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy, published on 22 January.

Baroness Berridge: The department is working closely with the Home Office and other government departments on delivering the Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy. This will include looking at opportunities to improve children’s social workers’ ability to identify and respond effectively to child sexual abuse. To drive delivery of the strategy, the Home Office have introduced robust cross-government governance structures to hold the multi-agency systems responsible for child protection to account and to remain responsive to this evolving threat and the needs of victims and survivors.We are investing in the social work workforce, and in leadership at all levels, to ensure social workers have the capability and capacity to support and protect the most vulnerable children and families in society. We have introduced clear post-qualifying standards which set out the knowledge and skills expected of children and family social workers, including the ability to identify and respond to child sexual abuse, and the National Assessment and Accreditation System to provide a mechanism to assess and accredit against these standards. In addition, we are supporting local authorities to develop evidence of what works, through the completion of the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme and the establishment of the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care.

Schools: Offences against Children

Baroness Blake of Leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the knowledge and understanding school Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) have of child sexual abuse; and what training DSLs receive to help them to respond appropriately.

Baroness Blake of Leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide an update on their work with the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse to support Designated Safeguarding Leads in schools to identify and respond to child sexual abuse.

Baroness Berridge: Schools and colleges must have regard to the statutory safeguarding guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE). This guidance sets out the role of the designated safeguarding lead, and highlights that they should undergo training to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to fulfil the role. Designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) should have a good understanding of their own role, and the processes, procedures, and responsibilities of other agencies.The department keeps the KCSIE guidance under review, updating and strengthening it as required (usually on an annual basis), to ensure all schools and colleges have the guidance to meet their statutory duties to safeguard children. As part of this, we also carry out regular public consultations, with the most recent closing on 4 March 2021. In total, 90% of respondents agreed that Part five of the draft guidance provides schools and colleges with the right level of information to support them to manage reports of child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment effectively. Of the 7% who said it was not enough, the information which they would like to see included is already within the additional advice document, entitled ‘Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment between children in schools and colleges’ (SVSH). KCSIE is supplemented with SVSH, which provides detailed advice about all types of child sexual abuse, including peer-on-peer abuse, the focus of the recent Ofsted review.The guidance helps schools and colleges understand what they need to do to respond quickly and effectively when an incident occurs, or if they have concerns about a child, including all forms of sexual abuse.The Everyone’s Invited testimonies have shown us the scale and nature of sexual abuse and harassment experienced by young people, often by their peers. The department acted quickly by asking Ofsted to carry out a thematic review into sexual abuse, the findings from which have now been widely reported and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-sexual-abuse-in-schools-and-colleges/review-of-sexual-abuse-in-schools-and-colleges. We have also set up a dedicated NSPCC helpline to support anyone who has experienced sexual abuse in educational settings or has concerns about someone or the issues raised.We have already updated and published the information statutory guidance: Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), and Sexual Violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges, both coming into force for this September. The updated guidance will ensure that schools and colleges, including DSLs, have even clearer guidance on how to deal with reports of sexual abuse, where to seek additional support (including engagement with the multi-agency safeguarding partners), help them make decisions when there are long-term investigations, harmful sexual behaviour, or when a criminal investigation does not lead to a prosecution or conviction. We will also update the Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance in due course.We will continue to develop our policies and engage with sector experts to understand the emerging risks and harms that children face, especially regarding peer-on-peer abuse, sexual exploitation, and online harms. As part of this work, we will keep the statutory guidance under review to update and strengthen as required, to ensure all schools and colleges have the guidance to meet their statutory duties to safeguard children. It goes without saying that we will thoroughly consider all the findings of the recent Ofsted report as part of this routine process. The work on the 2022 iteration of KCSIE has already started, including a cross-government review of the definitions of sexual abuse, including peer-on-peer, to consider how to better reflect the experiences of children and young people.We are extending the DSL supervision trials, involving 30 local areas, to up to 10 further local authorities, with a specific focus on sexual abuse. The programme, led by What Works for Children’s Social Care, aims to strengthen support for designated safeguarding leads and will help build the evidence base on what works.We are committed to developing an online resource hub for designated safeguarding leads where they can access relevant advice and guidance on a range of issues. The online resources will be developed with DSLs and relevant sector experts and made available in 2022. We will be working with the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse to include resources on child sexual abuse.The government will also undertake further work to consider how we can give greater status and support to designated safeguarding leads, looking first at the model we have for Special Educational Needs Coordinators.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Peers: By-elections

Lord Grocott: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker,  in the hereditary peers' by-election following the retirement of the Countess of Mar, (1) how many peers were entitled to vote, (2) how many peers voted, (3) how many ballot papers were spoiled, and (4) what was the percentage turnout.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The details of the by-election to replace the Countess of Mar are as follows: Vacancy Created By: Number of Members eligible to vote:Number of Members who voted:Number of spoiled ballot papers:Percentage turnout: The Countess of Mar783317040%

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates: Children

Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they plan to make to the UN Secretary-General about the absence of the Saudi Arabian and Emirati-led Coalition from the annual report by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed ConflictAnnual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, published on 21 June, on perpetrators of violations against children.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continues to call on the UN Secretary General for greater transparency on listing decisions. The UK is firmly committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and to protecting all children affected by armed conflict. We use our permanent UN Security Council (UNSC) membership to ensure conflict-related child protection issues remain a key part of UNSC discussions and that UN operations address child protection issues.

St Vincent and the Grenadines: Volcanoes

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many people have been displaced as a result of the volcanic eruption on St Vincent island in April; and what financial contribution they have made so far to the relief efforts.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: According to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), 24,651 people have been displaced as a result of the eruption of La Soufrière.The UK pledged an initial £200,000 to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) response teams to help address the immediate humanitarian impact of the eruptions. This provided urgent technical expertise to help co-ordinate the relief effort, including the provision of lifesaving emergency supplies, the restoration of telecommunications and transport links and other immediate needs including around the provision of water and electricity and in the health and agriculture sectors. This assistance was also key for undertaking critical sectoral damage and needs assessments to help inform the recovery effort.With the launch of the UN funding appeal the UK allocated a further £550,000 to the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide cash and voucher assistance to help an estimated 13,000 affected people to meet their immediate food, nutrition and other essential needs for an initial period of 3 months. WFP is a trusted and proven partner with whom we have a strong long-term relationship and established systems for delivering support in the Caribbean. This allocation built on previous humanitarian assistance and social protection work supported by the UK in St Vincent and the Grenadines.UK bilateral support to the immediate emergency response totalled £750,000 (approximately US$1,043,000). This came from the ODA crisis reserve. In addition, prior to the eruption the UK provided funding of £51,000 for helicopter support for surveillance and equipment installation. This boosted early warning of the impending eruption therefore allowing for a timely evacuation.

Sudan: Genocide

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what technical support, if any, they have offered to Nabil Adeeb and the inquiry he leads in investigating the June 2019 massacres in Sudan, particularly regarding the analysis of video evidence.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is taking a leading role with Sudan to help ensure the democratic transition is a success. As part of this we have been clear that accountability for crimes committed before, and during, the revolution is essential. The Minister for Africa reinforced this message at the international conference on Sudan in Paris on 17 May, as did the Foreign Secretary at the highest levels during his visit to Khartoum on 21 January. We continue to urge the Sudanese to deliver their commitment to an independent and transparent investigation into the attacks on peaceful protesters on 3 June 2019, and to hold those responsible to account. The Foreign Secretary demonstrated support for the work of the investigation at a round-table discussion on transitional justice during his visit, alongside the head of the investigation commission Mr Nabil Adib. We remain in contact with those in charge of the investigation to support progress on this important work.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Pakistan concerning the state of freedom of (1) religion, and (2) belief, in that country; and what support they have offered that government to protect those freedoms.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities around the globe. Pakistan is one of the FCDO's human rights priority countries and protecting FoRB is an integral part of our engagement on human rights in Pakistan. The UK Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs.We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan at senior levels to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of their religion or belief. Most recently on 23 and 24 June during a visit to Pakistan, I raised the need to promote respect for all religions with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Imran Khan, as well as other senior government ministers including Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Shireen Mazari. I also met with minority communities during the visit to understand better their concerns, including a meeting with representatives of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, an interfaith roundtable and discussions with influential religious leaders. In addition, the UK works within the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance to promote and protect FoRB around the globe. I underlined the UK's commitment to FoRB for all at a number of international meetings in November 2020, speaking at the intergovernmental Ministerial to Advance FoRB and the Ministers' Forum of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his personal commitment to the issue by appointing Fiona Bruce MP as his Special Envoy for FoRB

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to engage with (1) religious, and (2) belief, leaders in Pakistan about the state of freedom of (a) religion, and (b) belief, in that country; and what support they are providing to help those leaders address any matters of concern.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities around the globe. Pakistan is one of the FCDO's human rights priority countries and protecting FoRB is an integral part of our engagement on human rights in Pakistan. The UK Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs.We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan at senior levels to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of their religion or belief. Most recently on 23 and 24 June during a visit to Pakistan, I raised the need to promote respect for all religions with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Imran Khan, as well as other senior government ministers including Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Shireen Mazari. I also met with minority communities during the visit to understand better their concerns, including a meeting with representatives of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, an interfaith roundtable and discussions with influential religious leaders. In addition, the UK works within the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance to promote and protect FoRB around the globe. I underlined the UK's commitment to FoRB for all at a number of international meetings in November 2020, speaking at the intergovernmental Ministerial to Advance FoRB and the Ministers' Forum of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his personal commitment to the issue by appointing Fiona Bruce MP as his Special Envoy for FoRB.

Armed Conflict: Children

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will reflect the children and armed conflict agenda within the strategic conflict agenda.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is firmly committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and to protecting all children affected by armed conflict. In the coming months, we will be reviewing the UK's approach to tackling violent conflict, and will continue to ensure that the children and armed conflict agenda is reflected in this.

Armed Conflict: Children

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, published on 21 June; and what steps they are taking to hold to account perpetrators of violations against children.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Secretary-General's Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) shows how far we still need to travel to end the suffering of children. The UK is particularly concerned about the increase in violations committed against children in countries already on the Council's agenda, like Somalia. We have called on the Secretary General to ensure that next year's report includes the plight of children in Ethiopia and Mozambique. As a member of the UN Security Council CAAC Working Group, the UK applies diplomatic pressure to perpetrators to enter into UN action plans to verify and release any children associated with armed groups and forces, to prevent re-recruitment and ensure the provision of appropriate reintegration and rehabilitation assistance. Recently, we have negotiated strong calls to action for parties to conflict in Somalia, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Colombia.

Armed Conflict: Children

Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the children and armed conflict agenda will be reflected within the strategic conflict agenda.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is firmly committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and to protecting all children affected by armed conflict. In the coming months, we will be reviewing the UK's approach to tackling violent conflict, and will continue to ensure that the children and armed conflict agenda is reflected in this.

Armed Conflict: Children

Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed ConflictAnnual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, published on 21 June; and what steps they are taking to hold to account perpetrators of violations against children.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Secretary-General's Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) shows how far we still need to travel to end the suffering of children. The UK is particularly concerned about the increase in violations committed against children in countries already on the Council's agenda, like Somalia. We have called on the Secretary General to ensure that next year's report includes the plight of children in Ethiopia and Mozambique. As a member of the UN Security Council CAAC Working Group, the UK applies diplomatic pressure to perpetrators to enter into UN action plans to verify and release any children associated with armed groups and forces, to prevent re-recruitment and ensure the provision of appropriate reintegration and rehabilitation assistance. Recently, we have negotiated strong calls to action for parties to conflict in Somalia, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Colombia.

Department for Work and Pensions

Industrial Diseases

Lord McKenzie of Luton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Stedman-Scott on 11 June (HL874), whether they will publish a comprehensive list of the (1) literature reviews, and (2) individual studies, on the relationship between silica or asbestos and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody associated vasculitis that they have taken into account since the publication of the Position Paper of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council on 3 April 2020.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The relationship between silica or asbestos and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody associated vasculitis is not a current investigation of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council. The Council carried out a comprehensive review of the scientific literature on this topic and published a fully referenced position paper and found some evidence relating crystalline silica exposures to an increased risk of ANCA-associated vasculitis. The evidence was not consistent and mostly derived from small studies which are potentially subject to selection and publication biases. Consequently, the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council considered that ANCA-associated vasculitis associated with silica exposure did not meet the criteria for prescription under the Industrial Injuries Scheme. Regular scanning of published literature since the position paper was published has not uncovered any further significant evidence. The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council does not publish literature searches and has no plans to do so.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Amazon: Electronic Equipment

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much Amazon has paid in charges under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 in each of the last three years.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2013 place certain obligations on Amazon as a producer and distributor of household electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). As a UK-based producer Amazon pay an annual registration fee of £750 to the Environment Agency. Amazon meet their wider financial obligations as a UK based producer via membership of a Producer Compliance Scheme (PCS) approved by the Environment Agency. The amount charged to Amazon by their PCS for discharging obligations to finance their share of annual targets for collection, treatment, recycling, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of household WEEE is a commercial matter between the two businesses and is therefore not held by the Government. Amazon also has take-back obligations under the regulations in respect of their role as a seller of equipment directly to household consumers. Amazon discharge that obligation via membership of the Distributor Takeback Scheme approved by the Secretary of State under the WEEE Regulations. In total, the DTS has raised nearly £1.8 million over the past three years. This money is used to fund Local Authority projects aimed at improving their collection infrastructure to ensure more electricals are being properly reused or recycled. For larger organisations, the fee is based on their volume of unit sales across the different categories of electrical equipment. The amount charged to individual businesses is not published. The Government plans to consult on reforms to the WEEE Regulations later this year and will seek views on placing new responsibilities on Online Market Places.

Agriculture: Plastics

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey made representations on the use of Oxo-Biodegradable plastics to the European Approval Authorities, prior to that body’s decision to ban such products for use in agriculture in favour of bio-based resin from starch and lactic acid based products.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Article 5 of EU Directive 2019/904, on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, introduces a ban on products made from oxo-degradable from being placed on the market within the EU from 3 July 2021. Defra officials were engaged in several fast-paced negotiations in the latter half of 2018 in the lead up to the Directive’s introduction to the European Parliament. The UK Government did not make any separate representations to the European Chemicals Agency regarding oxo-degradable plastics.

Rodents: Pest Control

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) whatassessment they have made of the increase in the rat population in the UK, and (2) what steps they are taking to ensure that environmental health officials have sufficient resources to deal with this issue.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Defra does not hold data on the UK’s rat population. However, in 2018 Natural England published A Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals. This provides an estimate of the British population of brown rats to be around seven million. While this suggests a potential 7% increase since 1995, owing to the lack of data on the size or density of brown rat populations, it should not be used to confirm any view on recent changes in the population. Under The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, local authorities have a duty to deal with infestations of rats and mice. Local authorities have the flexibility to allocate resources to address local priorities, based on an assessment of risk. The Government is supporting regulatory services teams, which includes environmental health teams, through the Regulatory Services Task and Finish Group, which was established to help coordinate central government’s expectation of regulatory services teams in local government and to propose short and long-term options to support these essential services.

Plastics: Packaging

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps they are taking todiscourage plastic packaging.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Our 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy for England sets out our ambitions of doubling resource productivity and eliminating avoidable waste by 2050. To help us achieve this we are working with the devolved administrations to jointly reform the packaging producer responsibility regulations and introduce a UK-wide extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme for packaging. Our second consultation on Packaging EPR closed on the 4 June. This will see packaging producers paying for the management of the packaging that they place on the market, including at end of life. This will ensure producers think carefully about the necessity of any packaging they use. Producer’s fees would also be varied to account for certain criteria, including recyclability, so that producers who use easily recyclable packaging will pay less than those who use packaging that is not. Producers will also be required to achieve ambitious recycling targets for packaging obligated under the scheme. This will include plastic packaging. In addition, the consultation sought views on the introduction of obligations to encourage the use of re-useable and re-fillable packaging Aside from Packaging EPR, we have seen progress in the reduction in the use of single-use carrier bags. Their use by the main supermarket retailers in England has reduced by 95% since the introduction of the 5p charge. To drive further progress we have increased this charge to 10p and extended to all retailers on 21 May 2021. The Government is also working with retailers and Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to encourage efforts to reduce waste and to explore the introduction of plastic-free supermarket initiatives in which fresh food is sold loose, giving consumers the choice. The UK Plastics Pact is jointly founded between WRAP and the Ellen McArthur Foundation and is supported by the Government. The Pact brings together organisations from across the plastics supply chain with four key targets for 2025 that aim to reduce the amount of plastic waste generated. Our proposed reforms will support The Pact in achieving these targets.

UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement: Food

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Food and Drink Federation Trade Snapshot: Q1 2021, published on 18 June, what assessment they have made of whether the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement is connected to a 47 per cent reduction in UK food exports to the EU between Q1 2020 and Q1 2021.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The latest published data from HM Revenue & Customs shows that exports of food, feed and drink to the EU totalled £2.1 billion in the first three months of 2021. This is 33% lower than the same period in 2020. There are many factors that cause fluctuations in export volumes and values, with the impacts of COVID-19 and businesses adapting to EU import requirements contributing over the last year. We recognise that for some of our sectors EU import requirements are challenging and the Government is committed to supporting businesses in understanding and complying with the new processes that apply. We are also supporting businesses to capitalise on export opportunities across the world created through Free Trade Agreements. The Department for International Trade’s ‘open doors’ campaign provides exporters with market intelligence and a range of tools and resources to boost export capability. We have produced guidance and supporting resources such as webinars to help businesses understand the new rules. These set out import requirements and the steps businesses need to take to comply with them. This includes a particular focus on tailored support for SMEs. We recognise that a key issue is a lack of consistency of how EU requirements are being applied at different border posts. Defra officials hold regular technical meetings with their counterparts in EU Member States to address this and ensure the process is as smooth and consistent as possible for exporters and importers.

Home Office

Migrants: Domestic Abuse

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have launched a pilot scheme to gather data on the needs of migrant victims of domestic violence; if so, when it will conclude; and when they expect to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Support for Migrant Victims Scheme launched in April this year and is intended to run until March 2022. The scheme was set up in order to provide protection and support for migrant victims of domestic abuse who are unable to access public funds and to enable the Government to take evidence based decisions on how best to protect these victims in the long term.When we are satisfied that we are compliant with the Convention then we will, in line with section 1(3) of the Preventing and Combatting Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Act 2017, make a statement to Parliament confirming this and set out the timetable for ratification.This Government remains committed to ratifying the Convention as soon as possible.

Cabinet Office

UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement: British Nationals Abroad

Lord Aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the terms of the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement on the provision of services into the European Union apply equally to UK citizens living in (1) EU, (2) EEA and (3) EFTA, countries, so that they can provide services outside their host state.

Lord Aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreementon the provision of services into the EU by UK citizens living in (1) EU, (2) EEA and (3) EFTA, countries; and what stepsthey intend to take to reduce or offset that impact.

Lord Frost: The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, and the UK free trade agreement with the EEA-EFTA states, provide for a wide variety of obligations regarding the treatment by one Party of investors, services suppliers and natural persons of the other Party. Some of these provisions may be affected by the place of residence of the natural person in question, and the legal position will depend on the details of each specific case. UK citizens will need to check whether and how the provisions apply to them.Government routinely publishes a wide range of analysis on the UK economy. Other bodies, such as the Office for Budget Responsibility, also regularly publish economic analysis on the impact of the UK's trade deal with the EU.

Sausages: Northern Ireland

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what prevents the temporary provision allowing sausages to be moved from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland from being made permanent.

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the number of British sausages which have been smuggled from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland since 1 January.

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received notification from the government of Ireland that sausages intended for sale in Northern Ireland are being sold in the Republic of Ireland.

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are aware of any criminal operations to disguise the origin of sausages intended for sale in Northern Ireland in order to sell them in the Republic of Ireland.

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are aware of any arrests in the Republic of Ireland for the sale of British sausages.

Lord Frost: Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom, and its consumers should be able to enjoy products they have bought from Great Britain. Our biosecurity standards remain as high as they always have done, and these goods remain entirely safe for NI consumers to enjoy. The Government has seen no evidence of chilled meats moved from Great Britain finding their way onto the EU market.We welcome the fact that we have been able to agree an extension of the grace period on chilled meats moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. This means that Northern Ireland consumers will be able to continue to buy chilled meat products from Great Britain, and allows for further discussions to continue on a permanent solution without requiring the UK to dynamically align with EU rules.